Guyana: Government To Spend $168M For BMWs

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Guyana: Government To Spend $168M For BMWs

Hardbeatnews, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. Jan. 22, 2007: The Guyana government is set to shell out about $168 million dollars for about 20 BMW vehicles ahead of their hosting of the Rio Group Summit and the six Super Eight match-ups for the March Cricket World Cup.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, made the disclosure in the country’s National Assembly Friday, stating, “The Government has contracted Prestige Motors Inc. to carryout the purchasing of these 20 vehicles, the official dealership of BMW.”

The 20 vehicles, according to Anthony, will include 13 cars and seven Sports Utility vehicles and will be used mainly for transporting teams, officials, media and sponsors. He added that after the events all the vehicles would be resold through a competitive tender process.

BMW cars and SUVS are priced on the US market at an average of about US$40,000, depending on the model and year. Guyana, a country of less than a million people, with a gross domestic rate as of 2006 of US$826 million and a GDP per capita of US$4,700 according to the CIA World Fact Book, is listed in the lower middle-income group of countries by the World Bank.

Meanwhile, Anthony also disclosed that government will be providing $33.7 million to the Cacique Hotel and $168.7 million to Buddy’s International Hotel to ensure the completion of construction of both venues in time for CWC 2007.

The date for the meeting of the Heads of the Rio Group has not been fixed but the Foreign Ministry has indicated that a date in late February or early March is being considered. – Hardbeatnews.com

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